Shortly after we were married, we went
camping together for the first time. We had a small dome tent, an air mattress,
a lantern, an ice chest and small selection of cooking equipment. In the
seventeen years since, we’ve added a myriad of other equipment and moved up to
ever-larger tents, trying to find the right mix of nature and comfort.

Then, in 2006, we became the proud
owners of a Starcraft 3606 folding camping trailer. We found that our pop-up
offered us the best of both worlds. The soft-sided walls could be unzipped
entirely, allowing us to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the great
outdoors, while heat, hot water, and comfortable mattresses have helped to
salvage trips that might have otherwise been ruined due to unexpected bad
weather.

True, some of our family—which now
includes our teen-aged son—still likes the occasional no-frills experience of
tent camping. But for longer family outings, the camper can’t be beat.